Wayne RashConnectWise AutomateConnectWise Automate, formerly known as LabTech, does a solid job as an agent-based infrastructure and network monitoring platform with good support for self-service and third-party integration.

Ability to automate agent installation, and manage system and vendor patch deployment. Ability to offer self-service options to users. Allows multiple vendors to integrate with ConnectWise Automate, supporting use of their products without leaving the software.

ConnectWise Automate, formerly known as LabTech, does a solid job as an agent-based infrastructure and network monitoring platform with good support for self-service and third-party integration.

ConnectWise Automate (formerly LabTech) focuses an infrastructure management and network monitoring tool with a heavy focus on network discovery and general IT management. The software uses lightweight agents (which also help price the product at $1 per agent per month) to monitor not only the system running the agent but other devices on the same subnet. That strategy provides insights into hardware utilization and system performance without bogging down your infrastructure. That said, it still didn't garner our Editors' Choice award this time around in our infrastructure management service roundup, which is a honor that instead goes to competitor MMSoft Pulseway.

Installation and Setup

There are three different aspects involved in installing the full ConnectWise Automate solution. First is the ConnectWise Automate server, which resides on a Windows server running Internet Information Services (IIS) and Oracle's MySQL database server. The ConnectWise Automate server functions as a central point with which its agents can communicate, and it also houses the data collected from the various monitors you'll deploy. The setup process is straightforward, providing you meet the prerequisites and don't have any conflicting software on the same server (the list is long, so check the documentation prior to installation).

The second part of the ConnectWise Automate installation process is the ConnectWise Automate Control Center, which provides ConnectWise Automate users with a management console offering a host of features, including resource monitoring, hardware and software inventory, management script invocation, and patch management. The ConnectWise Automate Control Center can be installed on multiple administrative workstations, each of which connects back to the ConnectWise Automate server. Mobile versions of the ConnectWise Automate Control Center are available for Android and iOS devices.

The final and key step in installing ConnectWise Automate has to do with the software agents that gather information from servers and workstations on your network. ConnectWise Automate supports the Microsoft Windows 10, Apple Mac, and Linux operating systems (OSes) through various agent installers. Windows agents can be remotely deployed by using standard administrative tools such as Group Policy or log-in script, or by using ConnectWise Automate methods, including the agent probe push or detected network devices.

While all these steps provide a highly functional management capability, they certainly add significant complexity when compared to a cloud service solution, like New Relic Infrastructure. Additionally, depending on how much hardware you consume deploying all three of ConnectWise Automate's core components, the overall cost of the solution can take a dramatic uptick as well.

Inventory Functionality

Like many of the other network monitoring and infrastructure management tools against which it competes, ConnectWise Automate provides a toolset for performing a network device inventory - a task made fairly easy once its agents have been deployed. While this isn't quite true asset management, it does provide reporting that can help this process. Additionally, you can use the device inventory overview to kick off more in-depth monitoring of listed devices using ping, Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), or other standard methods.

ConnectWise Automate's inventory functionality also extends to server and workstation hardware and software. ConnectWise Automate's agents let you pull an inventory from connected computers, which can aid in licensing audits and ease the process of budgeting for future growth or upgrades.

Monitoring and Alerts

ConnectWise Automate provides numerous data points for monitoring your critical infrastructure, particularly for those that are server-based. In addition to simply keeping tabs on key events, ConnectWise Automate supports alerting that spans a range from simply sending a notification via email or Short Message Service (SMS) all the way to automatically triggering an action (service restart, system reboot, software install, etc.) to begin remediation or troubleshooting. These alerts can be triggered immediately on the first occurrence of an event or you can configure the monitor to wait until the event has occurred several times. Monitors are also capable of storing historical data, which can provide a means to perform trend analysis, easing the task of troubleshooting your key infrastructure and services.

ConnectWise Automate provides a number of features that go above and beyond simply monitoring your critical infrastructure. Key features in ConnectWise Automate include the ability to manage system patches or even third-party software updates such as Java and Adobe Flash—both regular offenders in terms of software vulnerabilities. Patch management even includes the ability to stage patches in waves, letting you test them thoroughly before pushing them to critical systems.

In addition to patches, ConnectWise Automate gives you oversight and control over antimalware, backups, desktop management, and virtualization through the use of plugins. ConnectWise Automate offers support for a number of industry giants in each of these categories. ConnectWise Automate also offers user-facing functionality through the ConnectWise Automate agent. Users can kick off pre-configured scripts, which can perform a variety of functions such as software installations, maintenance actions, or automated troubleshooting steps.

Overall Usability

Compared to the somewhat cleaner interfaces offered by MMSoft Pulseway and Stackify, the ConnectWise Automate Control Center takes a little bit of getting used to, especially from a navigation standpoint. However, it offers a number of useful features for administrators. The Navigation Tree lets you find a tool or use case, further drill down into a client or category, and then drill down into individual resources. One niggle is that ConnectWise Automate seems to, at times, offer two different UIs. For example, the patch management tool uses a slick, modern UI, which can make finding the right tool a bit difficult at times. There's nothing wrong with either UI but it does make the ConnectWise Automate Control Center a bit difficult to use at times.

A key aspect of any monitoring tool is the ability to view and analyze the data that's being collected. ConnectWise Automate offers three ways of looking at your data: data views, reports, and heads-up displays. Data views are simply a columnar view of the data being returned by the monitor. Reports are typically more sophisticated, giving you not only a view of the data but graphs and trend analysis (depending on the report). Reports can also be configured to run on a schedule, be emailed, or run with parameters. You can also customize reports or design your own. Heads-up displays give a high-level view in a format that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing enough to be part of an always-on network monitor display.

Pricing and Tiers

ConnectWise Automate's licensing involves a one-time implementation fee that includes setup, the initial configuration, and personalized consulting to help you get up and running. This implementation fee starts at $700 but goes up based on complexity and scope. Agents are also licensed at a rate of $1-$6 per month per agent, depending on commitment term length and volume discounts. For larger networks, the agent cost can start to impact the budget but the additional cost adds depth to the level of monitoring per device. Functionality which doesn't require an agent, such as virtualized hardware or network devices, does not require an additional agent license.

ConnectWise Automate has a couple of killer features, in particular, the ability to stage and deploy system patches. While there are other systems that supply this functionality, including a couple from Microsoft, having this feature incorporated into a monitoring suite like ConnectWise Automate has its virtues. The question over whether an agent-based monitoring solution or and agentless option is better comes down to your organizational priorities. The cost of ConnectWise Automate's agent licenses is worth consideration, but the agent is leveraged to help deploy system patches, offer user self-service options, and gain deeper insights into things such as monitoring the performance of running programs or keeping track of installed software.

ConnectWise Automate

Bottom Line: ConnectWise Automate, formerly known as LabTech, does a solid job as an agent-based infrastructure and network monitoring platform with good support for self-service and third-party integration.

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About the Author

Wayne Rash's IT Watch Column: www.pcmag.com/it-watch
Wayne Rash is a freelance writer and frequent reviewer of enterprise hardware and software. He is also a Senior Columnist for eWEEK. Email him at wayne@rash.org. Follow him on Twitter @wrash.

ConnectWise Automate

ConnectWise Automate

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